Fragile
by ConsistentlyInconsistent
Summary: A little over 500 years after Naraku's defeat Sesshoumaru finds the priestess his brother traveled with, but not in an environment he nor she expected.
1. Found You

As usual, I don't own any of the characters, please don't sue

AN: This idea just kind of hit me out of the blue today and wouldn't leave me alone until it got put down into words. I'm still working on the chapters for Sing for Me & A Historic Love (even if the chapters aren't flowing like I'd like them to…). Please enjoy my new story!

Chapter 1: Found You

Silver hair flowed like a river in mid-air as Sesshoumaru made his way down a long, dark hallway. A pointed glare from golden eyes met anyone unlucky enough to encounter him. He was in his usual business attire of a simple black suit, pressed and starched white collared shirt, and a black silk tie. Indeed, despite it being four o'clock in the morning he was well put together without a single flaw in sight…even if his mood was a little less agreeable than normal.

He'd received a call a little over an hour before, waking him from one of his better nights of sleep in a while. Apparently there was an urgent situation that couldn't have waited a few more hours. Once he was in the elevator he'd been walking towards he pushed the button that would take him to one of the lower, underground levels of the government building. As the giant box began making its descent, Sesshoumaru leaned against the wall and began to think over the events in his life that had lead him to where he was currently.

It had been around 500 years, give or take about five years, since the defeat of the despicable half-demon, Naraku. After that, time had seemed to pass in a blur. Things all happened so fast. He'd lost touch with the others that had a hand in Naraku's downfall upon returning to his castle with his small entourage. Every few years he would hear something of Inuyasha, or the wolf demon, or another member of the party, but he would never make any attempts to contact them; he was busy overseeing his lands and governing the people who resided within them after all. Rin had lived out the remainder of her days under his ever-watchful eye. She had married a young man from a local village who had treated her very well and hadn't looked down upon her for traveling with him. He'd also kept watch over her children and their descendants, even to this day.

He'd watched as an inquisition of sorts took place almost exterminating most of his kind. Something akin to pride had bubbled in his chest as he watched the people of his lands refusing to turn on him. Humans they may have been, but they knew that as long as they followed the laws he set forth that he would make sure they were kept safe and relatively fed; he would always protect what he saw as his. He had refused to get involved as civil war tore at his country, but did become more active in human politics. He and a few other demon lords had managed to strike a set of deals with the newly forming government while it was still young. He and his kind would agree to go into hiding, blending in amongst the people, and would fade into history as nothing more than myth so long as they were not actively hunted. If a problem ever arose between a demon or a group of them and the human government then the demon lords would deal with it.

Now only a select few of the higher-ups knew of the existence of demons and the ancient magics. And that's what he found had brought him to where he was now: in a government building's elevator, underground, at four in the morning. Outside of all the politics and bureaucracy he was an active investor in the stock market and owned a few small businesses on the side dealing with everything from the latest technologies to the buying and selling of the oldest artifacts.

A 'ding' caught his attention as the elevator doors opened silently and he swiftly stepped out into the dim lighting of the hall. 'This had better be worth waking me up at an ungodly hour or heads are going to roll.' Sesshoumaru thought with a barely noticeable smirk at the mental image that went along with the thought. 'It's been such a long time since these claws have felt the warm, slick feeling of blood coating them. I almost can't remember what it smells like.'

He slid a key card through a slot in a fluid motion and never broke stride as he showed his ID to the guards standing on the other side of the door without making eye contact. 'The sooner I see what these incompetent fools want, the sooner I can return home.' He walked through one final door which was much thicker than the previous few after punching in a code on a number pad. "What was so important that it couldn't wait until morning?"

There were three other gentlemen standing before him, all of whom started slightly at hearing his commanding voice. Two of them were government officials by the way they were dressed; one he knew, one he did not. The other man with them looked to be a scientist or doctor by the white coat he wore, and also appeared as though he'd been sleeping on a cot in his office for quite sometime. "Mr. Taisho, sir, I'd like to introduce you to the head of our Supernatural Research Department, Dr. Nakaura." The older official greeted.

Nakaura bowed while Sesshoumaru nodded his head at the man in an irritated way. The doctor started, "Sir, we discovered a young woman a few months ago who possessed odd…powers, shall we say, that haven't been known to exist in centuries even amongst demons. Of course we took her into custody immediately and began with several tests and interrogations. She was extremely reluctant to answer our questions at first, but she eventually gave in to our requests and told us quite an amazing story. What was most intriguing, however, was that in the story a powerful demon by the name of Sesshoumaru was mentioned several times and we were wondering if you may have known the girl at some point. If so then we have many more questions not just for the girl but yourself as well."

Sesshoumaru was confused to say the least. If the girl had known him in the past she was either a demon, which they already knew the existence of, or she was something else; what exactly he had no idea. "In what context was I mentioned?" Maybe if he knew what this girl said he'd have an idea of how long ago she claimed to have known him.

"We have all of the sessions recorded digitally, would you like to hear one of the times that your name was mentioned?" The doctor offered.

"Yes, I need to know which period of time this girl is referring to." Sesshoumaru answered as he followed the three humans to the next room where there were several computers, screens glowing, and he was handed a set of headphones.

"Please have a seat while I pull up the audio file."

Sesshoumaru sat and waited until he heard a pitiful, feminine voice reach his ears. "All I could do was watch while they fought." The voice cracked. It sounded as though the owner would erupt with sobs at any second. "He was berserk, possessed by his demonic blood, and when Sesshoumaru appeared I thought it was the end. I thought for sure Sesshoumaru would kill him…but he didn't." Here the voice went from sad to thoughtful, "all he did was knock him out. I ran to him to try and protect him from Sesshoumaru, like I could have stood in his way if he really wanted to do anything. But all Sesshoumaru did was look down at me and tell me that their father's sword would make him sane again. Then he simply turned around and left…I still don't know why Sesshoumaru didn't finish him off…didn't kill Inuyasha." There the audio was paused.

"That is just one of quite a few passages where your name is mentioned. Does that ring any bells? Did you know an Inuyasha?" The doctor asked as he turned away from the computer.

Sesshoumaru was quiet for a moment while he thought. 'That voice is so familiar. Where have I heard it before?' At hearing the question he answered, "Yes, Inuyasha was the name of my bastard half-brother. I vaguely remember the encounter mentioned, but the girl that ran to his side was a human; even if she did possess holy powers, they were minimal and even those with advanced, similar powers wouldn't have been able to live these 500 and some odd years. Where is this girl now? I wish to ask her how she came to know these things."

The three humans looked at each other and shifted slightly under the intense gaze they were receiving. "Mr. Taisho," the older official spoke, "you can see her, but there is a slight problem with speaking to her." Here he paused a little too long for Sesshoumaru's liking.

"Get on with it." He snapped. His lack of sleep from the past weeks and annoyance of the situation were catching up with him.

"Well, during the last interviewing session there was a problem. It appeared as though she was nearing the end of her story and she had been becoming more and more restless. I, myself, was in a separate room watching from a monitor and she appeared highly nervous…scared even. She had made mention that the group she was traveling with were after a powerful demon by the name of Naraku I believe. But once she got to a certain point she had refused to say anymore. We asked her several times to finish giving us the rest of the information, but when she continued to refuse a few of the security guards were asked to come into the room to hold her down so that we could give her a sedative due to her starting to lash out." He closed his eyes with a sigh as he recounted what he'd witnessed. "When the guards grabbed her arms was when everything went to hell. She apparently took it as a threat and lost control. What could only be described as a barrier surrounded her, giving the guards a few burns, and it knocked out all electrical equipment in and connected to the room. Naturally, we had everyone evacuated from the room and had a sleeping gas introduced via the air vents. As soon as she lost consciousness she was moved to another room. After a week she still hadn't woken up. It was then that it was decided that she was too dangerous and has since been placed in a monitoring tube in a state of suspended animation while we reviewed all of the video and audio recordings. She's been there for a few weeks now receiving nutrition via IV's and feeding tubes and having her vitals monitored. However, there hasn't been any kind of increased brain activity or any other sign that she'll wake up any time soon."

Sesshoumaru allowed all of the information to sink in before smoothly standing up, straightening his suit jacket, and saying "Take me to her. I wish to at least see if it the same girl."

The youngest official spoke for the first time since he'd gotten there, "Sir, I really don't know if that is the best idea-"

"Considering that you decided to wake me up and drag me down here at a most indecent hour, I think it is the perfect idea, human." Sesshoumaru interrupted as he looked at the young man with a heated glare. His ire was finally getting the upper hand in his demeanor and it was starting to show.

The other men in the room knew that his voice held no room for argument and agreed to take him to the room the girl was being kept in a few floors down. Stepping off the elevator all of the men had to show their identification cards to the armed guards standing by. The doctor took out a key and unlocked a key pad where he entered the code needed to open the doors in front of them.

As soon as the doors were opened there was a soft blue light cast on everything. In the middle of a room filled with computers and monitoring equipment was a large tube filled with some type of liquid that had a blue luminance due to the lighting above it. And floating in the liquid was a young woman, possibly in her early twenties at the oldest, with oxygen and feeding tubes running in her mouth and nose. Wires with electrodes at the end were stuck to her chest and back to monitor her heart and breathing rates. Being surrounded by the liquid her long, black hair was fanned out around her nude body which was currently in a fetal position. The lighting in and around the tube made her appear to glow, and for all the tubes and wires wrapping around her anyone would have to agree that she still looked beautiful with the serene expression she wore on her face.

Sesshoumaru took a few steps forward to get a better look at her. 'She looks a few years older and it's been over 500 years, but there's no mistaking that this is the same untrained priestess that traveled with my brother.' He turned back to the other men and stated in a flat tone, "This is the woman that was traveling with my half-brother more than 500 years ago. I'm not sure how she survived, but it is she. However, I never committed her name to memory and so I cannot tell you that."

"Her name is Higurashi Kagome, Mr. Taisho. Are you positive that it is the same girl?" One of the men asked.

"Yes, I'm positive." Sesshoumaru said as he turned back around to face the sleeping girl. 'How are you still here, woman?'

Sesshoumaru was surprised when as soon as the thought passed a beeping started from one of the machines. The doctor and an assistant that had been in the next room ran over to the machines to view the read outs on the changes taking place. Sesshoumaru kept his attention trained to the woman in front of him with curious interest. Dark blue eyes that were glazed over opened lazily to gaze at him. After a moment of holding his gaze a small, sad smile played across her face and she very slowly reached out one arm to place her palm against the glass surrounding her.

Through all of the activity going on around him, Sesshoumaru kept the same schooled look on his face as he remained sharing his gaze with the young woman in front of him. Then a soft voice echoed through his mind. It was barely audible but it was similar to the voice he'd heard on the audio clip moments prior. It said, "Help me…"

AN: So what do you think? Good? Bad? Would anyone like to see this one continued or should I just concentrate on my other stories before I'm hunted down and beaten? This is a Cannon Universe fic, it's just starting in the future (present day-ish). I really hope Sesshoumaru didn't seem too OOC, I tried to make it seem like him. Next chapter will have what happened to Kagome and the conclusion to what was going on in the last scene here It should be up fairly soon so keep an eye out, and I'm not going to hold chapters ransom for reviews but they do make me happy and let me know what you guys are thinking as far as if I should continue and whatnot!


	2. How to Cope

As usual, I don't own any of the characters, please don't sue

AN: Well it looks like the second chapter is going up the same time as the first. Maybe it'll help in getting some people interested. As I said at the end of the last chapter, this is going to be Kagome's side of the story up until where we left off last time and the conclusion of all that. Enjoy!

Chapter 2: How to Cope

It had been five years since she'd returned and Kagome was still trying to adapt to life back in her era. She'd be turning twenty-one soon. It had been hard when she had first returned. It almost seemed hopeless that she'd be able to live a normal life again.

During the final battle many of her comrades had been seriously injured but they had finally managed to defeat 'Him.' She hated saying His name. Souta had asked how everything ended, but she never told him. In all honesty she'd blocked out a lot of what happened that day. Kagome now only remembered little fragments and scenes of seeing her friends hurt and the sadness and anger she'd felt. She did remember, however, that once the jewel was completed she was sent back to her time and the well had been sealed to her from then on. She'd felt the power of the jewel later on and was able to tell that it was once again in her body somewhere.

Her mother had found her lying underneath the God Tree. She was unconscious for a few days before she woke up and began to panic. Despite having several bandaged wounds herself, she'd grabbed all the medical supplies she could find and ran outside to the well. But when she jumped in she'd been denied access through time's gateway. Denial and disbelief had set in quickly and she stayed at the bottom of the well for hours trying to dig and fight her way through the dirt bottom of the old well until her mother and brother were able to physically drag her out of the dark hole.

Kagome had cried for weeks that she had to go back to the past and treat her friends. She was afraid that without proper care they would die soon. During those weeks it had been a collective effort of everyone in the family to keep her away from the well, afraid that she would jump in and hurt herself. She finally resigned herself to the fact that after a few months if her friends had died from their injuries there was nothing she could do about it now.

That's when grief had set in. She mourned each of her friends separately for months at a time. Souta would often come home from school to find her sitting beside the God Tree or next to the well just crying. He'd bring her inside and listen to her while she bemoaned her inability to help them. She believed that it was her fault and blamed their deaths on herself for not being there to treat them after the battle. They had grown much closer as he tried to help her through the guilt and grief; telling her that it wasn't her fault and she couldn't help the well not working anymore.

She'd started to make some improvement during her friends mourning which had lasted the better part of two years. But it all seemed to be null as soon as she started to mourn Inuyasha. That had nearly broken her. She didn't want to accept the fact that her first love could be dead. That was when the attempts back to the past began again. She would try to sneak out of the house to go to the well. After breaking her ankle during one attempt her mother was forced to put bars on Kagome's window and a lock on the outside of her door so that she couldn't sneak out at night.

Kagome seemed to draw into herself and would just sit by her barred window and think for hours while she looked at pictures she'd taken of her friends and the white-haired half-demon she'd come to love. After a few months she was able to say his name without crying, but none were allowed to talk about him unless she brought up the topic herself. And even then she had a hard time controlling her emotions for a long while.

After another year of mourning especially for her love, she started trying to adapt back to life in the present day. She'd been able to sense several demons just in her neighborhood and had panicked at first until she convinced herself that if they hadn't made any moves for the jewel yet then they probably weren't after it. While she gradually tried to get used to sensing the different auras around her with her ever increasing powers, Souta was her sanity. He would go on walks with her through town so that she could get used to the sights, sounds, and feelings again. On one of their longer walks she'd grabbed his hand so hard he thought it would break.

During the couple of years while she readjusted she'd taken her grandfather's advice and started meditating to understand her power better. She still was a long way from being able to control it, but it didn't scare her as much anymore. She understood what it was trying to tell her sometimes and was able to tell when other people were close to her—she was even able to identify a few people, like her family, by their auras.

Today she was going to the store for her mother. Kagome had finally calmed down enough to go into town alone, but she was still skittish when she was alone. From time to time she would hear or see or smell something that would bring back memories from the past and she felt a little like a war vet who would lash out from the memories. She was only a few blocks away from the store she was going to when she heard tires squeal behind her.

Turning to find the source of the sound, Kagome saw a car with an unconscious driver about to cross onto the sidewalk. She saw a small girl and felt the need to protect. Running forward, Kagome pushed the girl out of the way and looked up to see the car heading for her. She closed her eyes and never felt the car hit her but her world went black before she could find out what had happened.

Kagome woke up a few days later in a hospital bed with several men in suits she didn't know surrounding her. "Miss Higurashi?" one of them spoke. "We are here about an incident you were involved in earlier this week. Take a look at these photographs if you would, please."

Kagome looked down at a few pictures spread out on a table in front of her. Her mind was still fuzzy and she was trying to wrap her thoughts around what was taking place. The pictures were of a car with the front end smashed in some and the side of a building that had also been crushed in some. There were a couple of pictures that were taken from a distance and with the car, building, and sidewalk it looked like they had been crushed by a bubble or sphere appearing. "What happened?" She asked in a groggy voice.

"That is what we would like to figure out. You will be leaving with us this afternoon. You do not have a choice in the matter and there is no room for argument. Your family will be informed of your general location, but will not be permitted to see you nor vice-versa until we've completed our research and investigation into this matter. Do you understand what you've just been told?" The same man from before spoke.

"Not really…" Kagome answered as her world spun and turned black once more.

Kagome woke up later in a different room that was very plain. It had a bed, a dresser, and three doors. She found that one led to a bathroom, on led to a closet, and the last one was locked but she assumed it went to the outside. She noticed that all of her clothes were the same. She'd been supplied with white, cotton, flannel pants and white, cotton, flannel shirts. Her bathroom had unscented shampoo and conditioner and unscented soap. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was waking up in a hospital room with a bunch of men around her. She sat back down on her bed and tried to remember what had happened. She started to remember the pictures she was shown, then the accident. That man had said she wouldn't be able to see her family again until they were finished with whatever they needed her for. "Mama…" she sniffled as she pulled her knees up to her chest and began to cry.

About that time the locked door opened and a middle-aged man with dark hair and glasses stepped in. He was wearing a lab coat and there was a young man that was dressed similarly behind him. "Hello Miss Higurashi, I'm Doctor Nakaura. This is my assistant and we'll be running a few tests on you today." His smile seemed a little overly friendly.

"What kind of tests?" Kagome asked.

"Oh just a few simple little things to determine how exactly you did what you did to that car and building. It's quite an impressive feat to bend steel and crush concrete like that without machinery." He gave her another one of his too happy smiles. "Now if you'll just come this way please." He finished as he stepped aside and waited for her to slowly get up from the bed and tentatively step through the doorway to the hallway.

'If I cooperate I'll get to see my family sooner…' Kagome thought as she followed the doctor and his assistant down the hall.

They led her to a room that had a few men dressed in white suits with face masks. They were holding rods of some sort, but Kagome couldn't tell what exactly they were. She heard the doctor's voice come on through a speaker mounted near the ceiling. "Miss Higurashi, we would like to see if you could create the same type of barrier that saved you from that car. This experiment won't be anything quite so lethal though. The rods in the hands of the men around you are able to produce electricity. They are similar to tazers but not quite as high voltage. If touched by one it would merely sting slightly, so don't worry. All you need to do is try to protect yourself from them. Commence with Experiment Series 1-A."

After his voice ended the men walked towards her and she could now see the blue sparks at the ends of the rods as they crackled. Kagome didn't know how to make a barrier. If she had done it before it had been nothing but a fluke. Any other time she'd used her powers had been with a bow and arrow. She felt the first electric sting on her back. 'Sting slightly my foot,' she thought, 'that hurts!'

Kagome soon found herself curled into a ball, sitting on the floor, wondering how much longer they would continue this until they realized that she didn't know how to give them what they wanted. 'Stop, please stop…' she thought. After a few more minutes of being poked and shocked she couldn't take it anymore and threw her arm out at one of the offending poles. There was a flash of light and when she looked up the rod had landed a few feet away and was now broken and melted in places and the man that had been holding it was in the floor slouched against the wall. The other men that had been around her quickly stepped back and she heard the doctor's voice again.

"That was good, Miss Higurashi. It took a little longer than we had anticipated, but the outcome was as we desired. Now if you'll come to the door we have a few more rooms to visit." And with a 'click' the door opened and she got up on shaky legs and walked out.

Over the next few weeks she found herself in one experiment after another. Some weren't as bad as others while some bordered on torture. Kagome would admit that being forced to access her powers and use them almost on command was giving her the control that she'd been severely lacking, but this wasn't the way she imagined herself taming them. Once they seemed satisfied with what they had gathered about her powers they started with the interview…and that was painful in an entirely different way.

She would be in a room with one or two other people while they attached her to a polygraph machine. They asked her questions about how and when she first noticed her powers. Once they found out how her powers arose the interviews got twice as long. Every day they would pull her out of her room and sit her in a room while they recorded her telling her amazing tale of traveling to the past, battling demons, and searching for a magical crystal. They would keep her there until she began crying from the memories and couldn't speak anymore.

She would be sent back to her room to lie on her bed and cry out her pain from the memories that were resurfacing. They were things she didn't want to remember, things she thought she'd never have to face again, and things she thought she'd dealt with. But she was reminded every day of painful things and the guilt she felt so long ago. She was going through the same feelings she'd gone through when she'd first returned only this time there was nobody there to hold her hand, nobody to tell her that it was going to be okay and that it wasn't her fault.

As the days turned into weeks and she continued to tell her story, she was getting closer to the ending. A memory that had started to come back to her and she wished with all of her soul that it hadn't. Once she remembered the final battle she began getting more nervous about continuing with her tale. She remembered Naraku's final words to her. He'd said "I will be back, priestess, and every time you think about me or mention my name I'll be that much closer to having you and the jewel once more."

The day came when she knew she would have to finish the story. She sat in the room fidgeting and hoping that everything had been a dream and she was going to wake up and be back in the past with Inuyasha yelling at her to make breakfast so they could be on their way. The thought brought tears to her eyes and she shook her head. She couldn't finish the story. She wouldn't do it.

Dr. Nakaura asked her to continue and she merely sat there. When he asked her again she shook her head. Then they started to threaten her, but she knew that she couldn't tell them. Not only because she didn't want them to know what happened, but because she had yet to tell this to anyone and saying aloud would only be like admitting that everything had really ended in such a horrible way. She knew they would eventually grow frustrated and fetch her from the room to put her back in her living quarters while they tried to figure something out.

Kagome was surprised when the security guards came in with syringes filled with something and every nerve in her body went on high alert. This wasn't what she had expected. She stood up to try and avoid the guards but was too slow and they grabbed her arms. That's when everything went haywire. Her powers surged forth in an effort to protect her from the unknown and the guards let her go. Everyone left the room and after a few minutes she started to get a little dizzy and then passed out.

She remained unconscious but was vaguely aware of things going on around her. They eventually moved her somewhere other than her room. Her clothes were removed and a tube was placed down her throat and a few in her nose. Sticky discs were placed on her back and chest and they put her in something cold and wet…and oddly for the first time in months she felt a sense of safety. They wouldn't hurt her anymore while she was in here. And if that meant living the remainder of her life here then she didn't mind.

Time passed and she would be aware if someone came close enough to her new enclosure to look at her. Then one day someone came that seemed familiar. 'Who is this?' she thought lazily in the back of her mind. The person stepped forward and she tried to remember who it was. This power was unforgettable. Then she heard a voice. It was more a thought in her mind than a sound in her ears.

'How are you still here, woman?'

'That voice, I know that voice. From the past…' It was difficult to open her eyes at first and the water stung slightly. After 'sleeping' for so long her vision was still blurry and the water around her distorted the image but the silver hair and gold eyes made her smile. 'Inuyasha…no…the doggy ears are gone…Sesshoumaru?' The thought made her smile sad, but she was glad to see someone from the past none-the-less. If Sesshoumaru was there then there was a chance that the others survived too. Now all she had to do was get out of here. She kept his gaze as she tried to reach out to him. Her arms were stiff at first and were hard to move but she managed to press her hand against the smooth, cold glass and prayed that one thought reached him. 'Help me…' she called out.

AN: okay, I know I said the conclusion would be here, but I think it would flow better if I put that in the third chapter. So anyway, let me know what you think I hope to hear from lots of you! Have a great day!


	3. Hello Again

As usual, I don't own any of the characters, please don't sue

AN: I've gotten positive feedback from the first two chapters and I'm so happy! So here's the third chapter and I'll respond to a few reviews at the end. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Hello Again

'Help me…'

Blue remained locked with gold for what seemed like hours as a silent request was met with an answer. Sesshoumaru turned away from the girl and walked up to Dr. Nakaura. "Drain it." It was a simple sentence, but the tone held such an icy bite that the doctor actually shivered.

"Ex-excuse me, Mr. Taisho?" Nakaura stuttered. He knew that he'd just been given an order by a being much more powerful than he (in more ways than one), but he was having a hard time registering the two words.

"I said drain it. Now." Sesshoumaru answered as he narrowed his eyes at the cowering human before him. He turned away and walked back to the woman he would have thought to never see again. 'I will get some answers to my questions…whether she wants to answer them or not.'

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru walked away to speak to someone else in the room. He came back to watch her yet again and looked slightly angry. Suddenly a surge of bubbles came from the bottom of her tank-like enclosure. Her view was obscured and she could no longer see Sesshoumaru but could still make out glimpses of silver. She could feel her heart beating faster in her chest and started to struggle against the wires and tubes around her. Unfortunately, doing so dislodged her breathing tubes and she got a deep breath of water. Soon the tank was empty and she was lying, naked and cold, on the bottom coughing.

Not being able to breathe, Kagome pulled the feeding tube from her throat and began coughing again. Once most of the water had been emptied from her lungs she screamed. The pain of breathing on her own and pulling the tubes from her throat was almost unbearable. Finally all she could do was lie at the bottom of her glass enclosure and cry as the glass around her was released from its seal around the top and lowered into the floor around her. She was vaguely aware of people rushing around her, covering her with blankets and detaching the electrodes and wires from her. And as she continued to lie on the floor shivering from the sudden exposure to the cold air of the laboratory, she looked up at a clearer vision of Sesshoumaru.

He looked so different and exactly the same all at the same time. He looked down at her with the same cold, emotionless eyes she had always remembered him having and said "Get her cleaned up and bring her to an interrogation room. I have questions that only she can answer." And with that he turned on his heel and walked out the door.

After the door shut behind him, Kagome's vision began to blur around the edges and her world was once again black as she lost consciousness again.

When Kagome awoke some time later she found herself to be back in the small room she once called her own here at…wherever she was. She was fully dressed and appeared to have been bathed. Her hair was dry and tangle-free. She didn't particularly want to think about someone else bathing her so she thought back to seeing Sesshoumaru. 'He's still alive…does that mean that Inuyasha is still here? What about Koga? And Shippo?' Her thoughts were interrupted when the familiar 'click' of her door signaled someone's coming. Sesshoumaru entered.

"You're awake. Good, I was tired of waiting on you and came to wake you myself if necessary. You will answer my questions and will not lie to me. Do you understand?"

Kagome listened to the edict and only stared at him.

With a frustrated sigh, Sesshoumaru walked to stand in front of where she sat on her bed and leaned against her dresser. "How are you here? You are a human and should have died centuries ago. Explain."

"I…" with just a single syllable her voice cracked. After weeks of non-use except for a scream earlier, her voice was weak. Clearing her throat, Kagome tried again. "I'm from this time, not the one you remember me from," she choked out. "I know it sounds crazy…but I used to travel through time to that era. It started when I was fifteen. I'm not sure what month it is anymore, but I'm probably twenty-one by now."

"That is rather unbelievable, girl. How exactly did you manage to time travel?" Sesshoumaru could sense that she wasn't lying but couldn't help but wonder if she had dementia and merely believed some fantasy. He'd never known of anyone, human or demon, who could travel through time.

"Kagome…my name is Kagome. And it was the jewel—it allowed me to pass through time to 500 years ago…"

Sesshoumaru was slowly getting answers. The jewel was powerful but he didn't see how it allowed this girl to jump from one era to another. "And how did the jewel allow you to do that? Did you wish it? Or was there something in particular you had to do?"

"Is anyone else alive?" Kagome asked as though she didn't hear his question.

"It is rude to ignore a question directed towards you. Now answer me." Sesshoumaru commanded. He'd been there far longer than he wanted to be and was ready to get his answers and leave.

"No." Kagome answered as she looked to the floor.

"You will answer me, human. I'm sure you remember enough to know that I could kill you any second if I so wished."

"I don't care. If you won't answer my questions, I won't answer yours. And besides," Kagome said as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "I didn't tell them and they did things far worse than killing me!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes started to bleed red. He'd had enough; it was time to get what he wanted. Reaching out his left hand he grabbed her by the throat and looked at her. "You will answer my questions, NOW. I can deliver things worse than death as well, Kagome." He said her last name as though it were dripping with the same poison his claws created.

Kagome reached up to grab his arm with the intent of burning him like she'd done to others, but nothing happened. She looked at where her hand rested on his arm then up to look him in the eye. He was glaring at her. She looked back down and took a closer look at the arm she held and the hand attached to it that held her. She felt the skin on his hand and her eyes widened; it was synthetic. She looked back up at him to see his usual cold façade back in place as he pulled his hand away from her throat and looked at it before flexing it a few times. "That is enough for now. I will be back though, and at that time I expect the answers that I desire."

Kagome's eyes watched him as he reached for the door knob. "Please," she called after him. "Please kill me. If I say I won't give you your answers, will you kill me?" He voice was watery and was starting to crack again. "I don't want to go through anymore experiments…I can't tell them the rest of the story…please…" Kagome tried standing up to walk to him, but the muscles in her legs failed her and she hit the floor as soon as she stood. She sat there on the floor crying, just hoping and praying that Sesshoumaru would pity her in some way and spare her from the torture that this place seemed to offer in abundance.

Sesshoumaru turned to look at the girl in the floor. He briefly thought back to when he saw her those five centuries ago. She had either been smiling or yelling at him or his brother. Comparing that image with what he saw now…it was pathetic. He almost felt something akin to pity for the young priestess and wondered what kind of 'experiments' she'd gone through to cause this transformation. "Stay." He commanded as though talking to a dog. With that he left the room and let the door shut behind him.

Sesshoumaru strode up to Dr. Nakaura and a few government officials who were talking at the end of the hallway and listened as all speech stopped when the noticed his approach. "She's leaving with me." He stated flatly.

"I'm sorry Mr. Taisho, but that's just not possib-"

"I don't care." Sesshoumaru interrupted. "I have questions for the girl and she's not willing to answer them while here. She leaves with me. I shall tell you of what I learn. You may fax any questions you have for me to my home, and I will answer them when I have the chance. But for now I'm leaving to make up the sleep that you gentlemen took from me, and the girl in that room is going with me." That said, he turned around and walked back to Kagome's room. Sliding his key card through the slot next to the frame, he heard the lock click and walked in.

Kagome was still on the floor crying where he'd left her. He walked over to her, grabbed her by the arm, and hauled her up. Once she was on wobbly legs he began to pull her out of the room. She stumbled after him silently, looking up at him with a tear-stained face and a shocked expression. Sesshoumaru could hear how rapidly her heart was beating and that her breathing was becoming labored. "Girl, if you hyperventilate due to unnecessary fear and pass out yet again I will DRAG you out to the parking lot. Do you understand?" He questioned as he gave her a pointed look.

He heard her swallow hard and saw her nod dumbly in his peripheral. When they made it to the elevator, Sesshoumaru quickly pressed the button that would take them to the ground floor. They stepped out together a few minutes later after a very quiet elevator ride and continued out across the tile floor of the lobby. They made an odd sight to the receptionist with a young, silver-haired man in a business suit dragging an even younger, weak-looking woman in a completely white outfit behind him. Sesshoumaru opened the front door of the building and kept pulling Kagome along as he made headed directly for his car.

Kagome was shocked into a state of silence as she obediently stumbled behind the tall demon. When they stepped outside she felt the cold air bite at her skin; it had to be winter. The pavement was freezing on her bare feet and she had to squint her eyes due to the rising sun. Then it all hit her at once. The odd feeling of the cold air around her with the warmth of the sun on her skin, the sounds of morning traffic, the smells of car exhaust and a lingering frost…they were all things that she had taken for granted for years. But now she couldn't get enough of them. Her chest tightened and she wasn't sure if she was about to laugh or cry, but either one would be done with relief and joy.

Sesshoumaru stopped her in front of a sleek, black sports car and unlocked the door only to shove her inside. While she sat up in the leather seats he walked around to the other side and stepped inside. "We are going to my home. You will stay there until you have answered all of my questions. Once that is done you will likely either return here or be permitted to go back to wherever your home is. But for now, once we arrive at my home I will have a servant show you to a room and explain the rules of the house. I will be going to bed and am not to be disturbed for any reason. We will speak when I get up." And with those words the car was silent again as he pulled onto the highway.

Kagome spent a few minutes staring out the window wondering what kind of questions Sesshoumaru could have for her and whether or not she would be able to go back to that place. Finally Kagome couldn't stand it and without looking away from the window she asked, "Sesshoumaru…what month is it?"

He was silent for a few moments and she thought he wasn't going to answer when he said, "February."

"Heh…happy late birthday to me."

Sesshoumaru remained silent but cocked an eyebrow and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Kagome saw the action in his reflection on the window and with a sad smile explained, "My birthday was December 29…two months ago. Thank you, by the way, for getting me out of there."

Sesshoumaru didn't answer but merely turned his gaze back to the road as they rode in silence the rest of the way to his home.

AN: See, when I get reviews that make me happy I try to update faster (providing the mother-effin chapters flow) so I can get more happy-making reviews! Anyway, the chapters aren't as long as I'd like them to be but these have seemed like the right places to end them so…yeah. Anyway, this will be the last chapter for tonight but there might be another tomorrow if I get more happy-making stuffs. I hope you all like it so far and continue to read! Good-night everyone and I'll talk to you later!

To my reviewers: I love you!  
**Sugar0o**: thank you for being my first reviewer! and I hope you liked this chapter as well!  
and another special thanks to **Fk306 animelover** and **kouga's older woman** for reviewing as well!


	4. Disbelief

As usual, I don't own any of the characters, please don't sue

AN: Here's the next chapter guys! Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Disbelief

They arrived at Sesshoumaru's home some time later. Aside from the distance there was also the morning rush-hour through Tokyo. Sesshoumaru's home sat just outside the hustle and bustle of the busy city. Kagome was in awe at the size of the house; it was very large and sat far back on a large plot of land. There were forests still behind the house which were rare to see this close to the nation's capitol. They pulled up into a long drive way and went to park in a large garage. Kagome followed as best as she could, trying to keep up with his long strides while her legs were still weak.

She followed him up to a beautiful hardwood front door and watched as he handed his suit jacket to a small woman standing just inside. Before continuing, Sesshoumaru turned to the woman and said in a bored tone, "Miss Higurashi will be staying with us for an undetermined amount of time. Show her to a spare room and alert the rest of the staff to her presence." That said, he continued on his way without as much as a backwards glance at Kagome.

"Hello Miss Higurashi, my name is Mana. I'll be showing you to your room and will answer any questions you might have. Please, follow me." The young woman said with a deep, respectful bow. Kagome looked at her and automatically felt more at ease about staying in the grand home. Mana looked to be maybe a few years older than she with dark brown hair that was cut off at her shoulders and hung straight. Her eyes were a dark honey color and shone with genuine care and happiness.

"Please, call me Kagome." Was all she said as she gave a small smile and followed Mana down a beautifully decorated hallway. Kagome looked at the pieces of art and hand-carved moldings around the ceiling and floor.

Along the way Mana stopped at a door to open it and deposit the jacket she was still carrying then turned to Kagome and said, "Lord Sesshoumaru has a beautiful home, doesn't he?"

"Yes, but I don't think I could imagine him living anywhere less extravagant. Mana, you seem happy enough working here for him even with the…well…indifferent way he speaks to you; why is that? I don't know if I could be around someone who acted like that all the time."

Mana turned to look at Kagome as she answered, "I am very honored to work for Lord Sesshoumaru. He is very particular about his work-staff. He has hand selected everyone working on the grounds and we have all been given job assurance for the rest of our lives. He may seem apathetic but he makes sure that we are cared for and we give him our respect and loyalty. My only family left is my younger brother and he was very sick. Lord Sesshoumaru approached me and told me that he was looking for a new head housemaid. When he told me of the job requirements and benefits I jumped at the offer. I've been able to pay for my brothers medical needs and put am putting him through school. Lord Sesshoumaru made all of that possible. What more could I ask for?"

Kagome was slightly stunned at hearing what the cold demon lord of the West had done for this young human woman. "I guess you really couldn't ask for much more. I was just curious because I knew him a long time ago and he didn't seem to care too much for humans-" Kagome's hands flew to cover her mouth. She knew it was too late and the words had been put out in the open, but she couldn't help but silently pray that Mana hadn't caught it.

Mana turned around to see a very nervous Kagome with her hands over her mouth and eyes as wide as saucers. She just smiled and said, "Don't worry Kagome. That's one reason that we sign life contracts with Lord Sesshoumaru. We are informed of the existence of demons and we know of his…heritage, but we do not fear him. We show him the proper respect for someone of his rank and he treats us well. This is the room that you will be using during your stay with us. If you need anything at all you only need call for me, but if you will excuse me there are chores that need tending to for the time being." With that Mana left Kagome standing next to a door as Kagome watched her retreating back.

Kagome was still a little dumbstruck at the information Mana had provided for her, but was relieved at the same time that she wouldn't have to walk on eggshells around the staff. Kagome turned to the door and looked at it. Her new room was just on the other side and she was just praying that it wasn't as small and plain as her last one. Taking a deep breath, Kagome opened the door and took in her new surroundings.

The room was beautifully decorated and quite large for a guest room. It had polished hardwood floors and cream colored walls. All of the trim was painted black and bright reds were used as accents. There was a large bay window with red cushions arranged to act as seating in the recess it created. On the same wall were glass French doors with red sheers over them. There was a western-style full sized bed against one wall that had cream colored sheets with a black comforter and red throw pillows. The top of the bed was about three feet off the ground and Kagome would have to jump to get into bed. She was in awe at the black vanity table with a large mirror that sat in a corner. There was a plush chair near a bookcase complete with a lamp to read by.

Kagome stepped fully into the room and spent a few minutes just looking around before she made her way over to the bed. The comforter was thick with down feathers; perfect for the cold winter months. A thought suddenly hit her, 'Mama…I have to make sure they're okay.' Kagome made her way back to the door she'd entered through and peered out into the hallway. It was deserted. Deciding to make her way back the way she came, Kagome would peek into different rooms to see what was where. She eventually made her way back to the foyer and called out for Mana.

Not a full minute later Mana appeared around a corner with the same smile she was wearing earlier. "May I help you, Kagome?"

"I was wondering if there was a phone I could use."

"Ah, yes. There's one in the kitchen. Follow me. I can also prepare something for you to eat if you're hungry." Mana offered.

In truth Kagome was very hungry, but she'd been fed through that tube for so long she wasn't sure what she would really be able to eat. "A bowl of soup would be nice, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, the phone is on that wall. Please have a seat while I fix your soup. Is potato alright?"

"Yes, that's great." Kagome said as she made her way over to the phone and dialed the shrines number.

It rang a few times before she heard, "Sunset Shrine, how may I help you?"

"Mama…" Kagome squeaked out. It was so good just to hear her mother's voice and know that she was okay.

"Kagome?" Her mother questioned. "How have you been dear?" she asked in a happy tone. "I'm so glad that you finally got some time off from work to call home. Those nice gentlemen said that you would probably be very busy for a long time, but it's just been so hard not having my baby at home-"

"W-what?" Kagome interrupted. "What men? Mama, what are you talking about?"

"A few months ago some nice men came to the house saying that you had been contacted to act as a sort of ambassador between demons and humans. I'm so proud of you, Kagome! They said that they would be needing your assistance for some sort of emergency and that we may not hear from you until it was resolved."

"Mama…I…" Kagome didn't know what to say. They had told her family she was working for them willingly. Surely these people knew that if she went home her family would know the truth and start asking questions. 'They were never going to let me go…' she thought. She suddenly felt as though a huge weight had been placed on her chest and it was getting harder to breathe. Hundreds of thoughts were going through her head as her mother's voice brought her attention back to the phone.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

"Mama, if those men show up again and start asking you questions about my time in the past…don't tell them anything. Don't say anything about how I got to the past or what happened when I got back…don't say anything. Okay? Will you do that for me?? I promise I'll try to get home soon and I can't explain now, but just do that for me and I'll talk to you soon. I love you, Mama." Kagome hung up the phone.

Kagome sat down at a nearby table and put her head in her hands. What was she going to do? It was obviously a miracle that Sesshoumaru had been able to make it out of the building with her. They never planned on letting her go back to her family. In all likelihood, if Sesshoumaru hadn't come into that room this morning then she probably would have spent the rest of her natural, or not so natural, life in that tube. There were so many feelings coursing through her right now it was causing her to shake. There was disbelief at what would have happened to the rest of her life; sadness that she may never get to see her family again; happiness that she had actually made it out alive; frustration at the entire situation; and then there was the anger. The anger was turning into a consuming rage. For the first time since Naraku's death she actually hated someone. She hated what they had done to her. They had torn her away from her family just when she was beginning to move on…and all for a reason that they had never even fully explained to her.

She could feel a heat rush over her body. She could feel her face flushing and tears stinging at her eyes. All of the anger was looking for a way to release itself and this seemed to be the best way for right now. Suddenly she heard a light clink in front of her and looked down to see a bowl of steaming potato soup in front of her and Mana standing beside her with a sympathetic smile.

Mana could tell that something was wrong with the girl. Tears ran down her flushed cheeks and her eyes were red. She hadn't been able to hear the phone conversation, but knew that something about it had upset her. She didn't want to pry into business that she had nothing to do with but gave Kagome a smile and said, "I've been through some hard times myself, Kagome. I know you haven't known me long enough to trust me, but if you ever need someone to listen to your problems I'd be glad to help. Now, would you like anything to drink?"

Kagome sniffled a little before she shook her head and told Mana that she'd done more than enough. Turning back to her soup, Kagome took a few small bites while trying to reign in her emotions. Her thoughts were completely preoccupied and her gaze was on the small meal in front of her but she looked up when she heard a cup being set on the table and saw Mana walk out the door. Kagome looked over to the steaming cup and managed a smile as she picked it up and gingerly sipped the hot tea offered to her.

AN: That's another chapter down folks. I hope you enjoyed it and I should have another out soon!

Thank you for your encouragement **Akiso13**, **Solaira**, and **Fk306 animelover**!


	5. Two Steps Back

As usual, I don't own any of the characters, please don't sue

AN: Inspiration is flowing in abundance and I'm milking it for all it's worth!

Chapter 5: Two Steps Back

Sesshoumaru was once again in a foul mood. He'd gone back to bed only to lie there completely awake. He was now walking down one of the many hallways within his home on his way to the kitchen. When he reached his destination he was met with the stale smell of potatoes, green tea, and salt. He turned to survey the area and low-and-behold, there on his kitchen table was a cold half-eaten bowl of potato soup, a cold cup of tea, and the area was saturated with the smell of salt.

Seeing that she'd eaten, Sesshoumaru set out in search of Kagome. The mess in his kitchen had to be her doing because no member of his staff would leave dirty dishes just lying around. Making his way to the room he knew Mana would have shown Kagome to he saw that the door was wide open…and there was a draft. He picked up his pace a little and when he entered the room he saw that the French doors leading outside were left wide open, the red sheers floating on the breeze coming through. "Damn her. I am in no mood for this!"

Kagome decided that she'd lost her appetite about halfway through her meal. So she got up and made her way back to her room. Once there she began her exploration of the room again. There were two other doors she hadn't looked in yet. One led to a good sized bathroom decorated to match the bedroom and the other led to a large walk-in closet. There weren't many clothes occupying it. Actually, there were only a couple of women's coats, a few pairs of shoes, and a pair of slippers.

Kagome walked over to lie on her bed and began thinking over her situation again. She had been taken away from her family about four months ago. They lied to her family about where she was. But she was with Sesshoumaru now. All she had to do was answer his questions and he might let her go home. Her heart fell when she remembered what he'd told her earlier. She might have to go back to that horrible place again. 'I won't…I can't go back there…Sesshoumaru can be cold, but he wouldn't do something that cruel…would he?' Then a thought struck Kagome. 'Sesshoumaru's the one who took me out of there. He didn't break in. He was already there…he had keys…he's part of it. He's one of the one's who kept me there!' Kagome was almost in full panic mode. 'He'll only keep me here as long as he needs me then he'll send me back…' Kagome stood up and went over to the closet and pulled out the slippers she had seen along with one of the coats. "I'm not going back," she said as she opened the doors leading outside.

Taking a look around, Kagome saw that the doors led into a beautiful garden behind the house. On the other side of the massive garden was the tree line to the surrounding forest. "Okay, if Sesshoumaru was in on the whole thing then his staff probably knows why I'm here. I can't let anyone see me. If they catch me I'll probably go straight back to wherever I was…" Kagome felt the sting of betrayal in her chest. She had taken a liking to Mana but now believed it to be false kindness. Taking one last look around the garden to make sure nobody was around to see her she counted to herself, "three…two…one!" And she took off despite her still unstable legs across the garden and into the trees.

As she ran, Kagome could feel the unused muscles in her legs burning and stiffening. The cold air was burning her lungs and she could see her breath every time she exhaled. The bare limbs of the trees caught on her clothes, hair, and face. But she kept running. She had to find her way to the other side of the forest and then find her way home. She tripped on some underbrush a few times but the longer she ran, the more she could feel that familiarity wrap around her. Running through trees after demons and jewel shards; it was one of the things she missed about going back in time.

Kagome's eyes widened when she saw a wall of green and brown ahead of her through the trees. 'A hedge maybe? I'm almost there! I'm coming Mama, I'm coming.' She thought. But all hopes of her escape were shattered when she saw that instead of the shrubbery of a hedge she'd expected, it was a wall of ivy. Kagome slowed her pace until she was at a stumbling walk toward the mass of leaves. She pushed aside the vines until she came in contact with what they were growing on. "No…" Kagome breathed out in defeat as she sank to her knees. She cried for her lost freedom once more as she beat her small fist against a tall wall of stone.

Sesshoumaru was making his way through the sleeping forest following Kagome's scent. 'When I get my hands on that girl…' He was livid. He took her from a place she would have rather died than remained at, and she had the nerve to run away before giving him his answers. He was getting close. Her scent was becoming stronger. He stepped from the trees and saw her collapsed at the base of the wall that surrounded the back side of his property. He knew she couldn't go any further than this, but it still angered him that she would have tried.

"You ungrateful human…get up. You will come back to the house this instant and you will answer my questions. I did not take you from that place as any favor. You know things that I wish to know. Now come." Sesshoumaru commanded as he looked down at her.

When Kagome heard his voice another wave of emotions crashed down on her. Utter despair at being captured again; fear of what he would do; but more than anything she felt the rage warm her blood again. She turned to look up at him with tears still in her eyes and could only glare at him as she thought of what he and his partners had done to her. "You knew! You knew what they were doing and you didn't do anything to stop them! Why? Why Sesshoumaru?! I always thought you were cold, but I never thought you could be so cruel! Did you know what they were doing to me?? Did you help them?! Or did you only help them cover it up with lies so that everyone I knew thought I left on my own?! I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!!" She then reached out to grab the nearest thing to her with any weight to it, which happened to be a fair sized rock, and threw it at him as hard as she could as she began to cry again.

Sesshoumaru only stood there slightly shocked at her outburst until she threw the rock at him. He quickly reached out a hand and caught it as he looked back down at the small human girl. He thought over what she had said…well, shouted at him and rolled his eyes at her theatrics. 'Humans can be so melodramatic…' He looked back at her before turning around and calling over his shoulder, "Come Kagome, there are obviously some things that need to be set straight. And since it's also obvious you won't be able to escape that way, I suggest you hurry. The weather report is calling for snow later."

AN: Short chapter, I know, but chapter six is going up the same time this one is so don't worry!

Thank you everyone that has reviewed!


	6. Discussions

As usual, I don't own any of the characters, please don't sue

AN: Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Discussions

Kagome eventually followed Sesshoumaru inside, glaring at his back and cursing him the entire way. She was silently glad when they made it back to the house and she felt the warmth on her skin as the doors were shut behind her. She watched as Sesshoumaru stopped in the threshold of her bedroom door and turned to look at her.

"Take a bath and then have Mana show you to my study. There are a few things that I must clarify. I will have Mana bring you some clean clothes." Sesshoumaru said and then continued on his way.

Kagome took offense to what he said until she looked down at herself. She was wearing the same white clothes she was wearing when she left the underground facility with Sesshoumaru and they had dirt and leaves all over them. Her hair was knotted and had small twigs stuck here and there. Her hands were also dirty from sitting on the ground and one was starting to bruise from beating against the stone wall. With a sigh, Kagome walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

She ran a hot bath as she stripped off the dirt covered garments and tried to brush her hair out some and remove the twigs. When the water was high enough she turned off the faucet and lowered herself into the soothing, steaming water. Her muscles were sore from all the moving around she'd done in one day after not moving in the tube for weeks. She then realized that this was the first bath she'd given herself in all those weeks. The realization made her chuckle a little as she thought about all the times she would demand that Inuyasha stop so that she could bathe in the past. Then the thought of Inuyasha made her want to cry again. 'Please…please still be alive, Inuyasha…' Kagome silently prayed for her friend and loved one.

Soon after she had washed her hair and face and the rest of her body, she stepped out of the bath and drained the water. She wrapped a fluffy red towel around her form and brushed out her long, black hair again. Once she was satisfied that all of the tangles were gone she walked back into her room to find some clothes lying on her bed. She quickly dressed in the khaki colored corduroy pants and beautiful cream cashmere turtleneck. Going to the closet to look for another pair of slippers was a shock because it was now full of beautiful clothes that she assumed were for her. There were all colors and styles, but Kagome was just glad that it wasn't all white...and she couldn't help but wonder how Mana had gotten these for her so quickly.

After giving up on her search for slippers, Kagome decided to settle for a pair of socks she found in the now full dresser. She opened her bedroom door and stepped into the hall and saw that Mana wasn't far. The slightly older woman turned to her and smiled before saying, "Come on, Miss Kagome. Lord Sesshoumaru is waiting."

Kagome followed her to another room that was on the second floor of the house and jumped when the door was shut behind her. Sesshoumaru was sitting in a leather chair in front of a lit fire place. He was just staring into the fire watching the flames dance as she slowly approached him. "Sit down, Higurashi." He said motioning to another chair near the fire but never took his eyes away from the dancing embers.

They sat in silence for a while; Sesshoumaru watching the fire and Kagome watching the fire's light swirl in Sesshoumaru's golden eyes. "I am only going to straighten a few things out. You will listen and not interrupt." Sesshoumaru finally spoke, still not looking away from the fire. "I was not aware that you were being held at that facility until early this morning when I saw you there with my own eyes. I have been active in your government for centuries. I know of experiments that the human scientists do on beings that aren't…normal to their standards." He paused here and looked to his left hand resting on his knee.

"I know not what they did to you, but I will tell you that you are not the first. They have collected data on demons as well, probably through similar methods. I am one of the few remaining of my kind. When they approached me I told them that I would willingly give them the information they needed, but would leave when I so chose. I have a loose idea of what you were probably put through. I was poked and prodded as well and they now know everything from why my muscles are denser than most demons to the chemical make-up of the poison in my claws. I'm not sure why they were so adamant about hearing the ending of the battle with Naraku from you as I told them the outcome years ago. I can only assume that you haven't told them everything. I say so because if they knew of the jewel that now resides in your body they would have tried to remove it so that they could study it as well." He saw Kagome tense up at the acknowledgement of the jewel in her side. "Do not worry priestess. I did not want the jewel those centuries ago, and I do not want it now."

Kagome released a breath neither knew she'd been holding, and she waited for him to continue.

"I do have questions for you, but I also believe that you said you had questions as well. It has been a very long day so we will continue with this at a later time. You will be staying here until all of my questions have been answered to my satisfaction. You are dismissed." Sesshoumaru said as he directed his gaze back to the fire.

Even though she had been dismissed, Kagome remained seated in the chair. After thinking over everything that he had said to her, she organized her thoughts and stood to face him. "I want my answers too, Sesshoumaru. You may have gone through experiments too, but you were there with your consent. They took me from my family. They literally pulled me off the street. Do you at least know why they did it? Why would they want to do something like that to me?" Kagome could feel herself starting to shake with barely restrained tears as her hands clenched into fists at her side.

"There hasn't been a priest or priestess around with any kind of substantial power for centuries. Obviously, finding out where your powers come from, be it some genetic anomaly or an actual higher being, would put the humans closer to answering one of their greater questions: is there a God? Demons are merely yet another species occupying the earth. All of our abilities have evolved into such and have physical explanations. The 'holy powers' that some humans possess are another matter entirely."

"How long did they keep you?"

Sesshoumaru was silent for a moment before he answered, "Years…while they questioned you about your year in the past, I was interrogated about the centuries I had seen. I'm sure that you had to remember things that you would have rather forgotten. Being a demon doesn't make my memory that much different from yours. There are things that I would rather not remember. But like you, I carry a constant reminder." He said as he held up his left arm. "That is enough for today. Leave."

And Kagome did just that. She turned and left the study. It was getting later in the evening. Kagome thought about the day's events as she walked around the house. It was one of the more active days she'd had in a very long time. She made her way towards the kitchen and opened the many cabinets and doors until she found the pantry. She made herself a light supper of a sandwich and some chips along with a cup of hot tea to take back to her room.

Once she arrived back at the large bedroom she settled herself on the cushions of the bay window and ate her meal in silence as she watched the snow slowly fall to the ground.

AN: Okay, so a good bit of talking. But there's much more for both to learn on the way! I hope everyone enjoyed! Have a great day and I'll talk to you guys later.

A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I love ya!


	7. Nervous Actions

As usual, I don't own any of the characters, please don't sue

AN: Sorry this wasn't up yesterday like I said it would be guys. I was exhausted when I got home from work last night and passed out almost immediately. Sorry again and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7: Nervous Actions

It was almost like an out of body experience. Kagome could feel what was going on, but she was watching herself as if it was a movie playing before her eyes. She saw herself back in those white clothes she had hoped to never see again. The Kagome donned in white was sitting on the floor in the middle of a completely white room. She had been blindfolded with a piece of black material and given a longer wooden pole. It was yet another experiment. Her captors seemed determined to find out every possible use of her powers; this test was supposed to be about sensing auras. She'd only just started to develop that use when they took her.

They were using those electric poles that they seemed so fond of. They explained that the goal of this experiment was to reach out with her pole and touch the person closest to her before they reached her with their pole. Once they were touched, they would back away again and another would step forward. They had learned soon after the first experiment that her untapped powers would only surfaced when she felt trapped or threatened. Now every experiment included something that could potentially hurt her unless she stopped it first.

The scene she was watching now was something from her first few days there at the facility. She could still feel the fear from that day. Being placed in a cold room and then having your sight taken from you would be enough to frighten most people. But to be put in that situation and then being told that you had to blindly defend yourself…that was enough to terrify. The small electric shocks were painful, but were at least tolerable through the cotton of her clothing. It was when they landed on the bare skin of her arms that she would occasionally find herself nursing small burns back in her room.

Kagome watched herself as the experiment began. She felt uncertain about where anything was. Her tense muscles made her moves with the pole jerky and sluggish. Out of the first five advances she'd only been able to stop two of them. Her breathing was becoming labored as tears started to saturate the black cloth covering her eyes. She could feel where the people around her were standing, but she would second guess herself and in that moment of hesitation the pain would come.

Kagome wanted to cry out at the pain she was feeling from her other self. She could hear her own thoughts from back then. 'Please help me. Someone…anyone…save me. Please save me…'

That scene ended and another was brought to her mind's eye. It started out very similar. She was sitting on the floor in clothes that looked the same. The room looked to be the same one from before. The only noticeable difference this time was that there was no fear coming from her. The fear was gone. The sadness was gone. And Kagome remembered that at one point she'd started pulling into herself during these experiments. This was many trials after the first one. Her response time was almost perfect now. Once she pulled into herself she allowed her instincts to take over and acted on impulse.

As Kagome watched herself this time she felt hollow and numb. This Kagome wouldn't cry out. She wouldn't feel the pain of an electric shock because now she was able to stop each attempt. But later a different kind of pain would consume her. 'Please help me,' she heard herself think again. 'Someone…anyone…help me die. Please kill me…' The pain of lost hope tore at her soul.

The scent changed yet again. She was now in her room. It was after Sesshoumaru had come to question her and then left her on the floor. When he had left the room she had lost her hope yet again. She would never want to admit it, but when Sesshoumaru had wrapped his hand around her throat and threatened her with death she had felt a morbid sense of hope and happiness. Perhaps Sesshoumaru would be her savior from this cold and sterile hell she'd found herself thrown into. 'Sesshoumaru…' she could hear herself calling out within her mind. 'Don't leave. Sesshoumaru…do what you promised. Sesshoumaru!!'

The demon lord had been outside when he heard his name being called. 'That woman again,' he thought. 'What does she want now?' Sesshoumaru made his way back indoors and down the hallway to Kagome's room. He opened the door to see her tossing about in bed, tightly clutching her sheets, and calling his name. 'What in the world?'

Making his way over to her bedside, he watched with curiosity as she continued to call his name. It was when she started to cry in her sleep that he decide that he'd had enough. "Higurashi, wake up." He spoke to her sleeping form. This had absolutely no effect on the sleeping girl except that she let go of the sheets and brought her arms up as if she was guarding herself from something. With a slight sigh of frustration, Sesshoumaru reached out with his left hand and grabbed one of her arms as he said called her name again in a more authoritative tone.

He was completely caught off guard however when she bolted strait up with a jerk and screamed "NO!!" A small pink flash filled his vision and he let her go to step back a few paces. Sesshoumaru's hand went to cover one side of his face that currently had smoke and the scent of singed flesh coming from it.

When Kagome opened her eyes she looked around in a dazed manor. She remembered becoming one with her dream self again as it took a different turn from reality. Sesshoumaru had left her and the men from the facility had come to drag her off to another experiment. She had struggled against them and tried to defend herself when they grabbed her arm. That's when she woke up.

Her eyes landed on Sesshoumaru and immediately knew that something was wrong. He was standing a good distance away from her and was covering his face with his hands. "S-Sesshoumaru?" She ventured to ask in a timid and slightly fearful voice. He swiftly turned to her, one hand still covering the left side of his face, and the eye visible to her was flashing between the normal white and gold to a more demonic red and teal. She had seen it happen to Inuyasha enough times to know that he was struggling with that more primal side of himself, so she sat perfectly still and quiet.

Once he seemed to regain some of his composure, Sesshoumaru looked at her with an expression beyond anger. "It is clear now that even though those fools managed to pull your powers out of dormancy, they taught you nothing about how to control them. You will train until you are able to control those powers, conscious or otherwise. You are quite possibly one of the few, if not the only, creature left in existence that could do me bodily harm, and I will not have you living in my home with that amount of power and so little control. Do I make myself clear?" Sesshoumaru's voice came out clearly showing his agitation and contempt for her at the moment.

Kagome watched at he proceeded to storm from the room and didn't miss the small comment he made on his way out the door. "You are proving to be much more trouble than you are worth."

Kagome now found herself walking down random hallways in the house. The 'wake-up incident' as she found herself calling it now, happened about two hours ago and she was trying to avoid Sesshoumaru at all costs. She had been living here in his home for about a week and was starting to catch onto his daily routine. He was always up before she was and was almost always outside no matter what the weather was like. He would stay outside until almost noon when he would come in to eat in his study/office.

Mana had explained that Sesshoumaru did a lot of business from home because it was difficult to personally make business deals and have discussions with constantly aging humans. They would of course notice his ever-youthful appearance and that would only cause problems. Because of this, he kept a personal assistant who dealt with the face-to-face business arrangements. Due to this, he spent a good deal of time by himself at home.

After he was through with his office work, he would usually spend the rest of the day reading. That was the tricky part for today. Kagome never knew where he would read. Sometimes he would stay in his personal library, which was of a ridiculously large size, and sometimes he would take up residence in another part of the house. He seemed to change location a few times each day because she had so far found him in the kitchen, living room, outside in the gardens, in the branches of a tree, his study, and once even just sitting in his car with his book like it was a normal place to read.

Kagome had been given the freedom to do as she wished. The day after their little talk by the fireplace, Sesshoumaru had informed her that he would allow her the time to cope with whatever had happened at the facility and she could come to him when she was ready to answer his questions.

During her week there she had been doing everything she could to keep her mind off of what had happened. She usually got up in the morning, brushed her hair, got dressed, and then followed Mana around the large house to help out where she could. She was able to really connect and talk to the older woman. It reminded her a lot of how she and Sango had been, even if Mana and Sango were two completely different people personality wise. The thought of her friend from her journey caused her chest to tighten and her eyes to water. It had been five years since her return and it still hurt to think about her lost friends. Even if her demonic companions managed to live to see the present, she knew her friends like Sango and Miroku were far out of her reach.

Lost in thought, Kagome wandered into the kitchen to get something to drink. She stopped short, however, when an almost electrical tension filled the air. Turning slowly, Kagome saw the person she'd been trying to avoid sitting at the small table in the kitchen.

Sesshoumaru sensed her presence immediately and was slightly on-edge himself. He knew that Kagome would never dare to intentionally hurt him, but that more animalistic side of him made him wary of potentially harmful things. The energy she had discharged earlier wasn't enough to do any permanent damage, but it appeared as though he had second or possibly third degree burns on the left side of his face. He knew that they would be healed within a day or two, his healing process slowed by the purifying cause of the wound. But during those days he didn't want to disturb his employees, so he had found some gauze and medical tape in a first aid kit and bandaged his face. The healing process itched terribly and the gauze wasn't helping, but it was better than hearing the gasps and startled screams from some of his female employees.

The two just stared at each other in a heavy, awkward silence for a while. Sesshoumaru could hear her heartbeat pick up with fear induced adrenaline and her breaths were coming faster. Her body was going into that fight-or-flight mode that humans were supposed to enter when they felt threatened. Deciding to ease her fears before she tried to run away again, Sesshoumaru looked back to his book and said, "Don't worry Higurashi. I'm no longer angry, but I meant what I said about you needing to learn control."

For the few moments that they were staring at each other, Kagome felt as though she were looking at the Sesshoumaru from 500 years ago. He gave her the same feeling as the demon she faced at the beginning of her travels: uncertainty, fear, and the need to run. But as quickly as the tension had descended upon the two, it lifted. Sesshoumaru turned back to his book and spoke to her, breaking her out of her fear. That's when she noticed the bandages that covered his face, and she instantly felt the heavy weight of guilt at knowing she'd caused that injury.

Kagome took a couple of hesitant steps toward the person that had rescued her from her tormentors and felt worse with each movement. When she was standing next to him she was unsure of what to do. She didn't want to interrupt his reading and risk his anger if he was indeed still annoyed with her. So instead of making a move, she simply stood in a coy silence waiting for him to acknowledge her.

Sesshoumaru knew that she was waiting for his recognition of her presence, but he was silently hoping she would tire and leave him in peace. His frustrations grew when she made no movement to leave or do anything else. With this thought in mind, Sesshoumaru calmly marked his page and closed his book before picking it up with every intention of finding a new place to read. She only stood there as he left his seat and walked towards the door to leave. But just as he reached to push the door out of his way she called out to him.

Kagome watched as the tall demon lord turned to look at her boredly. She suddenly felt like an awkward child under the expectant gaze of a teacher or elder. A light blush stained her cheeks and she found herself no longer able to keep eye contact with his only good eye at the moment. Her hands alternated between a nervous wringing motion and pulling at the hems on the long sleeves of her shirt.

"Is there something you need?" Sesshoumaru asked in his normal, calm voice.

For some reason, unknown to Kagome, that deep voice that he possessed cause a light shiver to run up her spine. "Um…well, no…I-I just wanted to tell you that I'm…um, well…I'm really sorry about this morning. I'm sorry about what happened to your-your face." She managed to stutter out as her blush increased.

"As I said before, work on your control and consider yourself forgiven." And he turned to find his new reading area.

Kagome suddenly felt a little light-headed at his nonchalant brush-off of her apology which had cause all the blood to rush to her head. 'I never imagined apologizing to Sesshoumaru could be so hard on someone. Then again, I don't imagine that many people have lived to be given the chance.'

Just then Mana came into the kitchen, glancing behind her with a shocked and pale expression. When she noticed an exhausted looking Kagome she asked, "Kagome, what did you do to Lord Sesshoumaru??"

"Huh?" Was the only answer Kagome could muster at the moment.

"He…well he…Lord Sesshoumaru was smiling! It was a small smile, but a smile none-the-less. I…well I've never seen that expression on his face. And what about you? You look like you're about to faint!"

"I'm okay…" Kagome wheezed. "I just need to sit down for a while."

AN: Well I wasn't very pleased with the way this chapter started, but I have to admit that I like the ending. I get really into it when I write and throw myself right in there with the characters…I was actually being asked if I was okay while writing this because I started blushing and my palms got all sweaty (gross). But yeah, I had to take a break part of the way through because I had an emotion overload and my damn heart arrhythmia started acting up haha Well I hope everyone enjoyed and I'm sorry that it was a little late. The good news is that I don't have to work again until Monday so I'm going to try to get a new chapter up each day (except Friday cause I have a date) until then.

Much love to all of my reviewers! Have a wonderful day!


	8. The Truth Hurts

As usual, I don't own any of the characters, please don't sue

AN: New chapter! Woo-hoo!

Chapter 8: The Truth Hurts

Despite Sesshoumaru saying that she had his forgiveness for the 'wake-up incident,' Kagome still felt horrible about it. She began her mediation again that very night. She now spent her free hours between waking up and going to sleep in meditation. Of course she would still eat, but it usually took Mana's reminding her to do so. She would pick a different spot each day and simply lose herself in the deep recesses of her mind to work on understanding and mastering the power that had been dormant for most of her life. It was during her fourth day of this meditative process that Kagome discovered that the more dangerous and aggressive part of her power came from the untamed power of the jewel resting in her side. Between the primal souls of the demons and the battle hardened soul of the priestess within, the jewel was the main contributor when she let her instincts take control of her power.

This scared Kagome and she knew that she would have to be much more careful in the future. If the jewel was a part of her now and its power boosted her power, she had no choice but to try and gain control over its power as well. This turned out to be much easier said than done. After three more days of meditation she realized that her efforts were in vain and it just wasn't going to happen. Settling for the next best option, Kagome decided to try and used her new-found command over her own to put a sort of lock around the jewel's power. If this idea worked, it would allow her to at least keep the jewel's power in check as long as she kept tight control over her own power. It took two straight days of no sleep in deep meditation and Mana finding her unconscious on her bedroom floor, but she managed to barely lock the power of the jewel away for the time being.

When Kagome woke up after regaining the energy she'd lost, she felt better than she had in a very long time. Everything seemed clearer; sights, sounds, smells, everything. Feeling as though she could even breathe easier, Kagome took a deep breath and could smell breakfast cooking in the kitchen. She could sense Mana's aura coming from that direction as well and realized that for the first time in her life she was in control. It was like a thick fog had lifted and she could now see the road ahead of her. She couldn't help the large grin that broke out across her face as she laid back down on her fluffy pillows and felt for the first time in five years that everything was going to be okay. Her friends from the past may not be with her anymore, but if Sesshoumaru had found her then there was a possibility that at least some of her friends were still alive. These thoughts gave her a sense of hope that she had thought to be long lost.

With this new hope and clarity, Kagome hopped out of bed and began getting ready to start her day. As she dressed and brushed her hair she noticed that she could think about the past with a lighter heart. It still hurt, but now she felt a sense of acceptance at the way things turned out. Gaining the control that she had been sorely lacking had given her a sense of being complete and an inner-calmness at knowing she wouldn't hurt those she cared about accidentally anymore. Wait…did she care for Sesshoumaru? He had been her 'knight in shining armor' when he had dragged her through the front doors of that horrible building and she would be eternally grateful to the quiet demon lord, but did she truly care for him? Was it possible that she was confusing appreciation with infatuation? Sesshoumaru was, after all, the furthest thing from the 'dream guy' she would discuss with her friend. But then again, Inuyasha had been the exact opposite as well. These were all very good questions, but would have to be pondered on at a later time because right now her stomach was demanding that it be fed.

Kagome walked through the kitchen door to find Mana by the stove as she had expected. Mana turned to look at Kagome with a large smile. She could tell that there was something different about the young woman her employer had brought to live with them. There was a certain bounce in her step today and she seemed to radiate with light and warmth. It was the first time Mana had seen Kagome like this and hoped that the change lasted. "Good morning, Kagome. How are you feeling this morning? I was nearly beside myself when I came to check on you the other night and found you lying in the floor."

"I'm sorry if I scared you, Mana. But after burning Sesshoumaru that morning…well, I knew that I couldn't put off learning to control my powers anymore. I guess I might have overdone it a little though." Kagome said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh, is that what happened to Lord Sesshoumaru's face?? I asked him once if he was alright, but he growled and said it was nothing to worry about. How would you like your eggs this morning?"

"Scrambled, please. And yeah, I accidentally burned him when he came to wake me up from a nightmare. I apologized but still felt really bad about it…" Kagome said as a guilty look took residence in her dark blue eyes making them look like rain clouds before the downpour. "And he's been avoiding me as if I had the plague, so hopefully now he'll be a little more at ease around me." And with that, the sunny smile was back.

Mana sat a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Kagome with a small bowl of rice on the side. "Well I'm glad to hear that, Kagome. I'm sure Lord Sesshoumaru will be pleased as well. What would you like to drink?"

"Orange juice, please." Kagome answered with another bright smile. It felt good to smile again and mean it. "The way you keep waiting on me, I'm going to have a hard time adjusting when I go back home!" Kagome joked.

Mana heard the statement and fumbled with the glass, spilling some juice on the table. "Damn…I'm sorry, Kagome. I'll clean that up right away." Mana went to a drawer to fetch a dish rag and came back to the table. "So you'll be leaving us someday?" Mana asked, concentrating on the mess.

"Of course…I have a family that I was taken from and I miss them. Plus, this is Sesshoumaru's house. I don't belong here. I'm only here for as long as he needs me." Kagome answered as she watched Mana with curiosity.

Mana simply smiled a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes…it was a silly question, wasn't it? I suppose I just got so used to having you around and having someone to talk to that I forgot that you'd be leaving. Well enjoy your breakfast. I have some things around the house that need taking care of, as usual. When you finish, I believe Lord Sesshoumaru is in the stables if you wish to speak with him."

"Stables?" Kagome asked around a mouthful of eggs.

"Yes, he agreed to keep a close associates prize horses while he was out of the country for an extended amount of time. He had a small set of stables built for them on the east end of the house. Just go out the back door to the gardens and go left. You'll see them."

Kagome hastily finished her breakfast while thinking on whether or not she'd ever seen Sesshoumaru on a horse. When she determined that she hadn't, she thought it was odd considering it was one of the faster ways to travel 500 years ago. 'Well,' she finally thought as she placed her dishes in the sink. 'I don't guess it's a faster way to travel when you can run much faster than a horse on your own.'

Following Mana's directions, Kagome easily found the stables that she'd been talking about. And sure enough, upon closer inspection, Sesshoumaru was pulling a saddle out of one of the storage closets. "Sesshoumaru!" She called as she waved to him. Kagome huffed when all he did was look over at her and then go about whatever he had been doing before. "What are you doing?" She asked as she closed the remaining distance with a quick sprint.

"I'm putting a saddle on this horse. They need a fair amount of exercise and the best way to give them that is to take them out for a ride." Sesshoumaru answered in his usual deadpan voice.

"Oh, with as many people as you have working for you I would have thought you'd have someone else to take care of the horses." Kagome said as she turned towards one of the large animals and rubbed its long nose.

"If you insist on being out here then at least make yourself useful and get the saddle out of the third door from the end."

"Why?" Kagome asked as she got the requested item anyway.

"Because you are going to ride one of them as well. I've already taken two out, so if you ride as well this will be the last trip and I will have saved time."

Kagome stopped and nearly dropped the saddle. "But I don't know how to ride a horse!"

"Then you will learn."

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru took the saddle from her and got the last horse ready for its daily ride. He led both horses outside by the reigns and handed one set to Kagome. They were beautiful creatures. The stallion was a mocha color with a black mane and tail and black socks. She was handed the reigns to the mare. She wasn't as large as the stallion, but was completely black except for the white socks at her feet. Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru mounted his horse and looked at her expectantly. Taking a deep breath, she tried to mimic Sesshoumaru's fluid movements but failed miserably. She didn't get enough momentum on the way up and ended up falling to the ground with a thud.

After a few more unsuccessful attempts, Sesshoumaru grew tired of waiting and leaned down to grab her arm to steady her as she climbed up. She mumbled a "Thank you" and cleared her throat as an embarrassed blush crept its way across her cheeks. "So how do I make it go?" Kagome said as she looked around the horse in confusion.

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow at her phrasing. "You 'make it go' by applying pressure to the sides with your heels." Sesshoumaru demonstrated and watched with concealed amusement as she followed suit. She succeeded, but lacked grace upon the animals back.

"Now how do I keep from bouncing?? Stop laughing at me!" Kagome admonished when she noticed his small smirk at her situation.

"You rode on the back of the fire cat the demon slayer kept, yes? I don't imagine that it's much different from that. Relax and feel your body move with the mares." Sesshoumaru explained.

Taking his advice, Kagome relaxed and tried to remember what riding on Kirara was like. The ride smoothed almost instantly and her mare fell in step with Sesshoumaru's stallion. "So you're keeping these guys for a friend, huh?"

"I wouldn't call him a friend. Acquaintance would be a better term. He is a demon who works with the human government, much like myself. He was sent overseas for an undetermined amount of time and could not find a boarding stable that would keep them for that long."

"Is there anyone you would call a friend?"

"No. The last person I might call 'friend' died a very long time ago."

"Oh? And who was that?"

"Rin."

Kagome saw the look in his eyes and decided to leave it at that for the time being. She could understand his pain and knew why he may not want to talk about it. So she changed the topic, "Where are we going anyway?"

"There is a stream that runs through a field over that hill. I take them there, let them drink, and bring them back."

"Alright." She was quiet for a moment as she watched the scenery pass by very slowly. "So aren't these supposed to be able to go faster than a walk?"

Sesshoumaru smirked at the opportunity he'd been given and nudged his horse into a gallop, leaving Kagome behind. Kagome fretted over not knowing how to do the same, but soon didn't have to worry about it because her mare decided she didn't want to be left behind and picked up speed to catch up with her partner.

But now Kagome had a different problem. Her bumpy ride began again and increased tenfold. She straightened her legs to steady herself and found that lifting from her seat slightly gave her a much smoother ride again. With a confident grin, Kagome leaned forward some to move with the horse as Sesshoumaru had said and was soon beside him. She almost laughed when he looked shocked for a moment at seeing her next to him, but instead settled to try and push her smaller horse to go faster and beat him to the stream he spoke of. Luckily the mare knew the familiar path they were taking, because Kagome hadn't thought about the fact that she had no idea where she was going once her competitive streak kicked in.

Several minutes later found them slowing back down to a slow gate and eventually a stop. Kagome felt triumphant in her little race against the demon lord and tried to dismount once her horse had stopped. Unfortunately, Sesshoumaru caught up just in time to see her foot catch in the stirrup and throw her to the ground once more.

Sesshoumaru raised a perfect eyebrow at her as she tried to untangle her foot from her position on the ground, the horse ignoring her completely as it drank. Having his fill of amusement at her expense, Sesshoumaru was able to dismount in one graceful, fluid motion. He walked over to Kagome and grabbed the stirrup from her hands to lift if upward as her foot fell out. Kagome stayed in her position on the grass and covered her flushed face with her hands trying to get over her mortification. Finally daring to peek into golden eyes through her fingers she offered, "Call it a draw?"

"Quite."

They sat in a companionable silence for some time after that just taking in nature. And since it did appear that her company was going to strike up a conversation anytime soon, Kagome decided to get some more mediation in to make sure her lock was holding up.

Sesshoumaru glanced over at the dark haired woman as she crossed her legs in front of her and started taking slow, deep breaths. With a devious thought running through his head, Sesshoumaru spoke "You're not going to faint again are you?"

With that simple sentence Kagome's concentration was broken. She turned to look at the man sitting a few feet away from her and gave him a small glare. "No, Lord Smartass," Kagome snapped. "For your information, the only reason I passed out that time was because I had been working so hard to get my powers under control like you told me to…" Her voice trailed off as she pulled her knees up to her chest. "And I did. So you don't have to worry anymore."

"What makes you think that I would worry about a human like you?"

"Well you said it yourself that I was probably one of the only things that could hurt you…and…I don't want to hurt you."

That small confession actually surprised Sesshoumaru. But he quickly recovered and countered with, "This coming from the same woman who so fervently made it clear that she hated me when I brought her here?"

"I don't hate you…not anymore. That was when I thought you were working with the people who took me away from my family." Kagome said sadly. "But we're not so different, Sesshoumaru. I think that aside from the species and gender difference, you and I are like kindred spirits…or something." Her mood brightened a little here as smiling blue eyes met questioning gold.

"I'm sure you're going to explain your reasoning…" Sesshoumaru coaxed as he looked out at the field ahead of him.

"The way I see it, we've both lost people that were very important to us like parents and friends. I think that we've both probably seen more horrible things than we would want to admit and that there are many things that we wish we could forget. But forgetting is the easy way out, right? So instead we remember those things that make us who we are and put on a brave face for the world. What do you think?"

"I think those are the words of a sentimental human." But in truth, Kagome was much more correct than he would ever tell her. There were things that he wished to never think on again, but these same things had changed him into the demon that he was today. 'Rin…'

"Would you be up to answering some of my questions now?" Kagome's voice cut through the silence and brought Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts.

"You have answers to give first, Higurashi."

"No way! I've thought about this. You said that once you had your answers you would send me away. I have no idea if I'll ever see you again after this. So you answer all of my questions first and then I'll answer yours."

Sesshoumaru thought on her reasoning and saw the logic behind it. "Very shrewd, Higurashi…very well, ask your questions."

Kagome thought for a moment on which question to start with and settled on the one weighing heaviest on her heart. "What happened to my friends? Are any of them still alive?"

"I'm not sure about some, but of course you realize that the slayer and monk have passed?" He saw her nod and continued. "Most of what I know is only through what I heard in rumors. I did not hear about what happened to the fire cat after the slayers passing."

Kagome interrupted him there, "I might regret this, but do you know how they died?"

"I heard it was of old age in the village my brother was so fond of. I know not of the wolf demon or any of the others you encountered. The last I heard they were all alive, but that was centuries ago. The fox child that traveled with you matured in the village with the slayer and monk. He made a conscious effort to keep in touch with me, but I had other businesses to attend to. The last time I heard from him was a few decades ago. He said that he was traveling overseas to America to study some native culture."

Kagome felt tears of joy come to her eyes at hearing that Shippo had survived this long. But she suppressed the emotions for the time being and ventured to ask about the one person that mattered most in her eyes. "And…what about Inuyasha?" She held her breath in anticipation as soon as the words left her mouth.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. He had enjoyed seeing her flustered, not depressed. "Are you sure you wish to know the truth, Higurashi? Once one learns the truth they are burdened with that knowledge for the rest of their days."

Kagome swallowed the lump forming in her throat and answered in a shaking voice, "Yes."

"About a century after your disappearance there was an inquisition of the demons. My kind was hunted without discrimination of character. If the humans could get their hands on something not of their kind…it was destroyed. Some of the other more powerful demons were able to survive this bloody period. But word was sent to me that the resurrected priestess my brother kept company with had been destroyed. With her blasphemous life, so left Inuyasha's sanity. Even with our father's sword in place at his side, his demon blood took over. A rampage that couldn't be stopped followed and another demon killed him. If he was allowed to continue it would have given the humans even more conviction in killing our kind."

Kagome sat in silence after Sesshoumaru finished speaking. She didn't move, didn't speak, she only sat and watched the water of the stream flow past them. Kagome stood and turned towards the black mare. "I think we should go back to the house now Sesshoumaru." It was so soft that if he hadn't been a demon, Sesshoumaru probably wouldn't have heard it over the water.

Sesshoumaru watched as the girl who had been so clumsy and bubbly earlier mounted the horse as though she had been riding for years and took off towards the house. As he followed he could smell the salty tears that had fallen to the ground during her ride. She had beaten him back to the stable and he found the mare simply tied off to a post nearby. Sesshoumaru led both horses back inside and took off their equipment before closing their doors and heading inside. Seeing Kagome cry had reminded him of how he felt when Rin would do the same. It made him frustrated that he wasn't sure how to handle the situation. He had learned centuries ago that crying females of any species could be unpredictable. While he had known that the answer would upset her, Sesshoumaru wasn't one to lie.

When he reached the back door to his home, Sesshoumaru was greeted by an extremely worried Mana. "Lord Sesshoumaru, what happened to Kagome?? She was doing so well earlier and now she's worse than when she first arrived!"

"She finally learned the truth about her past companions. It was apparently more than she thought she was ready for." Sesshoumaru continued through the hallways of his home until he was outside Kagome's bedroom door. He could hear her muffled sobs on the other side and decided to leave her alone for the moment. 'She mourned him once already, this should pass fairly quickly.'

But how wrong Sesshoumaru found himself to be. While Kagome had mourned for Inuyasha upon returning from the past, there was always a small ray of hope that he was alive somewhere and she would find him one day. But now she knew that he would never com to her. She would never bump into him on the street, like in the movies. She would never see the man that she loved again. And this knowledge was crushing. Kagome found herself unable to do anything but cry for her lost love. Her heart ached so much it was a struggle just to breathe and she wished that it would just explode and grant her peace.

She spent days lying in bed, unmoving, and simply thinking about the past. She thought about the different arguments she and Inuyasha had and how she now wished she had handled them. If she had only known that she wouldn't be spending the rest of her life with him as hoped, she would have been kinder and less quick to anger. The things that had annoyed her back then or the traits of his personality that had bothered her were now things that she treasured, and she would now give anything to hear him yelling at her again.

The staff that Sesshoumaru kept around his house had been trying desperately to remain out of their Lord's way. Ever since the girl had confined herself to her room, Sesshoumaru's ire rose each day. With his enhanced senses he was about to go insane from the sounds of her weeping and the scent of her tears that now seemed to saturated his home at all hours of the day. Deciding that enough was enough on the fourth day, Sesshoumaru marched to her room and swung the door open to walk over to her bedside. "Woman, you will stop this incessant weeping at once. I will give you one hour to be out of this bed, bathed, dressed, and in the kitchen for supper. Do not test my patience." It had come out harsher than he had intended, but he honestly couldn't find it in himself to care right now. She was going to waste away in that bed mourning for his dead brother. If it took stern words and actions to snap her back to reality then that's what he would give her.

Kagome heard Sesshoumaru's words, but didn't move. She wasn't frightened of him or what he might do. If she had been in a proper state of mind she probably would have been, but not now. She felt as though she was back at square one. She couldn't understand the feelings swirling inside of her. She thought that she was over Inuyasha and had mourned for his death, but she couldn't stop the tears. She could only think how much she wanted to hear his voice again, even if he was yelling at her like he usually did. A sense of hopelessness had settled itself where her heart used to be and she wasn't sure that she wanted it to leave. With that heavy weight smothering her heart it was hard to feel much of anything else. It made the pain slightly bearable. After all, if she couldn't feel then she couldn't hurt…

The hour passed and Sesshoumaru stood in the kitchen. Another half-hour passed and he was almost seeing red that she would openly disobey him while living in his house. If he couldn't pry her out of this depression and it wouldn't pass on its own then there was only one solution he thought might work. He walked up the stairs of the foyer and made his way to his study calling for Mana along the way. When the small woman appeared in the doorway he motioned for her to stand next to the desk. After rummaging through some drawers he found the contacts book that he was looking for. "Mana, I want you to look through this book for the number at which a Yamata Shippo can be reached. He's going to need to know what time his flight for Japan leaves."

AN: Haha this turned out to be the longest chapter yet. I know some of you are probably like "finally!" but I'm working at a pace. This is the last chapter until Saturday so I hope you enjoyed it! I'll see you guys later!

I love my reviewers! You guys rock


	9. A Compress and Some Foundation

As usual, I don't own any of the characters, please don't sue

AN: I lied. My mom wants me to come see her tomorrow afternoon and stay the night and she has no internet connection. So I'm going to post this now before I leave since I wrote it last night and I'll update again on Sunday.

Chapter 9: A Compress and Some Foundation

Kagome woke up, her mind in a drowsy fog, and noticed that she was unusually, though comfortably warm. The heat was behind her and wrapped around right side as well as down her right leg. Lying there for a moment, she contemplated going back to sleep until she thought more about the source of her new warmth. After waking up a little more, Kagome realized that whatever was keeping her leg warm was very soft and fluffy. She slowly turned over and was eye-to-eye with caring teal-green eyes framed by rusty, auburn hair. "Shippo…" Kagome sniffled. "He's gone Shippo…and I never got to say goodbye."

The fox demon hugged her close and stroked her hair gently. The woman who had taken care of him and protected him as a child after losing his family needed him. And he was more than happy to lend her the strength she needed now. "I know, Kagome…I know." His voice had long outgrown the high-pitched squeaking of a child and was now a soft baritone. "I'm here for you now though, and I'll stay for as long as you want me here."

Kagome's body shook with silent sobs as she clenched her fists in his shirt, and she could feel his strong arms wrap around her in an attempt at making her feel safe and secure. "Shippo…you grew." She mumbled into his shirt before looking up to give him a watery smile.

Letting a sad smile of his own slip, Shippo only looked down at the small human woman and said, "It was bound to happen at some point in those 500 years you were gone."

Shippo had arrived late the night before, long after Kagome had fallen asleep. He was greeted by a calm Sesshoumaru while Shippo was anything but calm. When he'd heard that Kagome was with Sesshoumaru and had driven herself into a depression over Inuyasha's death, he had dropped everything to be at her side. Immediately upon arrival, Shippo had quietly entered Kagome's room and slipped into bed behind her, snuggling her close to his chest. Maybe now she would finally be able to get closure and move on.

After holding Kagome as she cried, Shippo was able to pry himself from her arms as she began calming down. He walked over to the door and opened it to reveal a struggling Mana trying to open the door and not spill the tray of two breakfasts in her arms. "Thank you very much, Mr. Yamata. For a moment I was afraid that you and Kagome may not have a breakfast left!" Mana crossed the room and placed the tray down on a bedside table before leaning over the edge of the bed to check on Kagome. "How are you feeling this morning? Did you like your wake-up surprise?" She joked.

Sniffling, Kagome put on a smile and nodded. "Yes, it's good to see a familiar face…well, it's actually not that familiar anymore, but those eyes couldn't belong to anyone else. Either way, it's good to know that I'm not alone."

"Kagome," Mana said, "you never were alone. At the very least you had Lord Sesshoumaru and I."

"Yes, but…I enjoy your company but I don't want to bother you while you work and sometimes being around Sesshoumaru is almost the same as being alone."

"Well as long as you start eating again and get out of this bed, I don't care. I want to see the Kagome I saw a few mornings ago! You have such a beautiful smile and you were absolutely glowing. Well, I suppose it's time for me to get back to work and let you two catch up on things. Be sure to let me know if you need anything else!" Mana said as she turned to leave the room with a wave, shutting the door behind her.

Shippo brought the breakfast tray over to the bed and sat down on the fluffy comforter across from Kagome. "'How have you been' just doesn't seem to cover it after not seeing you for 500 years."

"For you, maybe. It's only been five years for me." Kagome said as she nibbled on a piece of toast.

"Kagome…I may have still been very young when I last knew you, and it has been a very long time for me but still…" Shippo paused looking for the right words. "I know what kind of person you are, Kagome. You're strong and determined. You bounce back even when things are at their absolute worst. What is all of this really about? It can't all be because you found out that Inuyasha died when you knew it was a possibility all along."

Kagome was quiet for a few minutes as she pushed her food around on her plate. "When I came back…I was so lonely Shippo. I was worried out of my mind that I had left everyone to die that day. And I was lonely because the closest friends I ever had were gone and I knew I would never see them again. I never got to tell anyone goodbye. I never got to see Sango and Miroku get married or have children. I never really told Inuyasha how I felt about him…" Kagome had started tearing up halfway through her explanation and was now starting to hiccup. "I never knew if he felt the same way. Why couldn't things have turned out differently, Shippo?" And the breakdown began again.

Moving the plates out of the way, Shippo pulled Kagome so that she was cradled in his lap. "I know it may not be the same, but I promise that he felt the same way Kagome. You shouldn't ever doubt that for a second. Do you want to know how he died? I was there."

"Sesshoumaru already told me…"

Tilting her head up with a clawed finger, Shippo gave her a curious look. "What exactly did he tell you?"

"He…he said that Inuyasha went crazy after Kikyo died and that a stronger demon killed him."

"Well that is true, but how about the full story instead of the abridged version?" He asked. Upon seeing her nod and settle into his embrace, he continued. "Inuyasha didn't run off to join Kikyo like you might have thought from Sesshoumaru's version. He stayed in Kaede's village with Sango, Miroku, and I. He remained the village's protector for many years even after Sango and Miroku died. I eventually moved away to try and find my own place in the world, but the hunting of demons made that very hard. Deciding to go with the 'safety in numbers' philosophy, I went back to the village to look for Inuyasha. He wasn't there so I followed what rumors I could until I found him. When I did…well, it wasn't pretty. It was a gory scene and that's all you need to know. Finding Kikyo's clay body shattered had been the final push to send him over the edge. I tried calming him down, but you know better than anyone that there's no reasoning with a beast like that. I wasn't able to kill him myself, but I was there when Sesshoumaru struck the final blow—"

"Wait…Sesshoumaru was the one—Sesshoumaru killed Inuyasha?" Kagome said in stunned disbelief.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru was the only one with the power to stop him. But if it makes you feel any better, Inuyasha returned to himself for a moment before he died. He called out for you, Kagome. You were the last person he had wanted to see. Not me, not Kikyo, not anyone else, but you. That's how I know that he loved you too. Now knowing that, do you think that he would want you to stay in bed mourning him for the rest of your life?"

"No…" Kagome answered quietly, letting Shippo's words tumble around in her head.

"So then what do you think he would say if he were to walk through that door yesterday and see you like that?"

"H-he would have told me to get out of bed and quit being stupid." Kagome laughed around her tears at her own foolishness. "He would have marched in, given me an ultimatum, and dragged me out if he had to!" Kagome was now laughing at the memories of a few times when her fiery half-demon love had tried to do just that. "He would do…" And in that moment realization hit Kagome in the face as though it had been trying to get her attention for hours. 'He would do exactly what Sesshoumaru did yesterday…' Turning in Shippo's arms, Kagome tackled the overgrown fox with a hug that nearly sent the both tumbling off of the high bed. "Thank you, Shippo." She said as she nuzzled into his neck and laughed with tears flowing down her cheeks the entire time.

"I feel like I just missed something, but anytime Kagome, anytime." He chuckled in response as he patted her on the back.

Early evening found Shippo in the city in search of a few things he would need for his stay at Sesshoumaru's and a refreshed Kagome walking out of the bathroom wrapped in a robe with a towel in hand trying to soak up the excess water from her long hair. However, she was surprised when she found a dress, a letter, and a box lying on her bed neatly. Curiosity roused, she made her way over to the bed to pick up the letter. Unfolding the paper she read:

Kagome,  
I'm so glad to hear that you're feeling better. Lord Sesshoumaru asked that I give you the contents of this box and to pick out a nice dress for you to wear. He said that he's tired of being indoors and is going into the city for the evening and that you are to accompany him because he refuses to leave you alone. He said it's because you might try to run away again, but I don't think that's the case. Don't tell him I said that though! Anyway, I thought this dress would be beautiful on you. He said he'll be in his study whenever you get ready, but I wouldn't wait too long because he can get anxious when kept waiting.  
Sincerely,  
Mana

Kagome looked over to the box and saw a manila envelope sticking out of the top. Grabbing it up, she saw a sticky note on the front that read "Stop crying." With a roll of her eyes Kagome opened the envelope and pulled out a thick packet of paper. It took her a few moments of flipping through pages to realize what it was, but someone (probably Sesshoumaru) had searched for the current health and whereabouts of her demonic friends from the past. Kagome clutched the papers to her heart and smiled as a sigh passed her lips. She eagerly turned back to the box and reached inside until her fingers touched the bottom. 'That's strange,' she thought. 'Why would Mana have used a box just for an envelop?' But she ran her fingers along the bottom until they touched something smooth and round. Gripping whatever it was, Kagome lifted it out only to almost drop it as soon as she saw what she was holding.

With another sticky note taped to one of the smooth spheres was Inuyasha's subjugation rosary. The small note read "The fox said you might want this." Holding the ancient beads close she walked over to her vanity table and laid them at the base of the large mirror. She would never forget, but would do her best to move on.

Kagome pulled herself from her memories and put on a smile. "I need to get ready. It's not polite to keep others waiting."

Sesshoumaru was sitting in his study going over different business proposals, but not really paying much attention to any of the details. His mind kept wandering to the girl downstairs and to whether or not it was a good idea to give her the rosary. The fox child seemed to think it was a good idea, but he was worried that it would only send her into another spiral of despair. 'Human women can be so odd about things like that.' He thought absently as he remembered how Rin would often react in the exact opposite way of what he would expect.

But his thoughts were interrupted when a throat was cleared from the doorway. Turning to the source of the sound, Sesshoumaru suddenly found himself entertaining the thought of giving Mana a raise. The woman who had been sobbing in bed not twenty-four hours prior was standing in his study looking every bit like a well composed lady of high society who had never in her life lost herself in misery. She was wearing a simple black dress that was sleeveless and form-fitting. It had a deep, but tasteful V-neck and belted around her waist. The dress was complimented by black strappy, yet classy high heels and a small black clutch for the things she would take with her. Half of her long hair was pulled back and the rest was left to fall around her shoulders. She wore little to no make-up letting her natural beauty shine through.

Sesshoumaru silently stood from his chair and grabbed his suit jacket before walking over to Kagome. He wordlessly offered his arm like a gentleman should and started down the hallway and stairs when her small hands took the offer. They walked out the door together and as they made their way to Sesshoumaru's car Kagome couldn't help but notice an odd look that he kept giving her. Finally unable to take it any longer, Kagome asked, "What's wrong?"

Sesshoumaru stopped and turned to look her in the face fully. "You look very nice, but one thing puzzles me."

"And that would be…?" Kagome prompted.

"How could you possibly cry during those four straight days you were in your room and not have your eyes swollen shut?"

Laughing at the question that only a man would ask, Kagome pulled him the rest of the way to the car as she explained, "Girls are magic. We could cry for weeks, but give us a warm bath, a cold compress, and some foundation and we'll be ready for a date by eight o'clock!"

AN: Not as long as my last chapter, but not as short as some of the others. I hope you guys enjoyed this and I'll see you Sunday! Have a great weekend!


	10. A message from your author

A message from your author:

Greetings to all! I wanted to announce my return and give everyone a heads up about the changes that I'm planning. I'm not sure if these sorts of messages are allowed to be posted as chapters, but this notice will be coming down soon.

So here's how it is:

I'm back and intend to take up writing again.

As far as the changes that I'm planning…well, short version, I'm basically going to rewrite or revise all of my chapter stories. If you like them exactly as they are now, I suggest that you save them as documents to your own computer, and I'm sorry that that particular version may remain unfinished. They will come down and/or be replaced. I estimate that these changes are going to start in the next couple of days, but I'm not sure what story they will happen to first.

If you would like a more detailed account of why I will be changing them or what kinds of changes I will be making to the individual stories, I put it all on my profile page.

I thank you for reading my works in the past, and I hope you'll stick around for the new and improved versions that will be coming soon.

All the best,  
ConsistentlyInconsistent


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